The present invention is related to a camera positioning apparatus. More specifically, the present invention is related to a camera positioning apparatus having a gimbal assembly.
Since the commencement of the use of security cameras, camera users have sought to mount their cameras in various locations and positions. The key to effective use of a security camera is to ensure that the camera is directed at the area to be surveyed. Most often, security cameras are mounted within a static bracket that is fixed in a single position. In other cases, the camera mount is adjustable in only one dimension.
All of these devices suffer from the inability to adjust in at least two dimensions. Therefore, the cameras must be remounted or mounted in a different location should the area to be surveyed change or the line of sight becomes obscured by changing store displays, for example.
Various devices have been developed for mounting cameras yet no single device has combined the qualities of the invention disclosed herein. The camera gimbal described herein is generally smaller and lighter than typical camera mounts. Furthermore, and perhaps more importantly, the camera gimbal of this invention is adjustable in two dimensions and is also rotationally adjustable about the axis of the camera.
According to the present invention, there is provided a camera gimbal for adjustably mounting a camera. The camera gimbal comprises a base bracket, a ring bracket, a square bracket and a carrier bracket.
The base bracket is mounted to a wall or other surface. The ring bracket is rotationally secured within the base bracket by a plurality of clips. The clips allow the ring bracket to be removable secured within the base bracket. The ring bracket includes two raised pivot posts secured to opposite sides of the ring bracket and extending away from the base bracket. The square bracket is pivotally secured to the pivot posts of the ring bracket. The carrier bracket includes two raised pivot posts secured to opposite sides of the carrier bracket and extending towards the base bracket. A line connecting the pivot posts of the carrier bracket is perpendicular to a line connecting the pivot posts of the ring bracket. The carrier bracket is pivotally secured to the square bracket through the pivot posts.
The pivot posts of the carrier bracket and the ring bracket include a plurality of interleaving ridges. The interleaving ridges allow the carrier bracket and the square bracket to pivot in indexed steps and lock into a particular orientation once positioned.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become clear from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment, which is presented by way of illustration only and without limiting the scope of the invention to the details thereof.